If it's anything like the swiss/german? Smart Car, and much cheaper we're in trouble ... if the market for Walmart (Communist China's retail outlet in the USA) is any indication.
prisoner6
There will be three basic China cars. The C412 is a replacement for the Mercedes A-Class and B-Class, and was engineered by Chrysler and Mercedes - and Chrysler actually won some engineering fights. The first Mercedes version is due in 2008; the Chrysler version will be built in China, while the Mercedes will be built in Germany or East Europe. It is around 13-14 feet long and five feet wide, and Chrysler expects it to sell nearly as many copies as the Neon or PT Cruiser, starting in model-year 2008. This vehicle is due very soon. As far as we can tell this is closer to being a Chrysler than a Chery, and unless the company is working with surprising speed or pushing back the production date, the design is probably set in stone and will not benefit from the company’s freedom from Mercedes.
The next car is a smaller vehicle, around 11 feet long and five feet wide, with for export sales only; this one is essentially a rebadged Chery, as far as we can tell, but it might have a custom "top hat" (the visible parts, inside and out). This one is to be introduced in 2009, as a 2010 model, to fill out the Chrysler product line.
Finally, we have the infamous Hornet. We have no idea what the basis for this is, but based on the dimensions, it could either be a shortened version of the Chrysler/Mercedes C412, or an existing Chery platform; it’s to be sold as a niche car in the United States with a rather low projected volume (below even the original PT estimates).
FWIW
prisoner6